The Wearin' Of The Lime Green Brace

When we arrived in the exam room and saw this huge green cast, we were pretty concerned. It was cut down some, but has to stay pretty long due to the location of her curves.

There's Nat in front of Wright and Filipis in Saginaw, where her brace was "born".

Sophie is so good at offering comfort to all of us. Natalie was practicing getting up off the floor and Sophie must have thought she was hurting. She walked over and sat by her knees. Oh how we just adore our Sophie dog!

"Oh no! A turtle on its back...help!!" My funny girl pretended to be a turtle, an end table, and a footstool with her new brace. She's a crack up, that girl of ours!

There's a beautiful smile and just a peek at Natalie's new brace. If you look close, you can see a picture of her on the wall behind her. (top right)

If you were praying for Natalie and our family at some time today, thank you so much. I know that's the reason we were able to endure this appointment today. Nat handled it well, and in her usual chipper personality. She cracked Ed up again by referring to her brace as her new "abs of steel". She will start a gradual wearing of the brace, building up to 23 hours a day. We will be at the surgeon's office frequently the first few months, monitoring her progress. The brace is much larger and bulkier than we imagined it would be. It comes down to the middle of her behind, and one side comes up under her arm. It has to be worn tightly, and clothes, including pants, need to fit over it, not under. We have found some challenges already, and are hoping we can find the answers to them soon. I'm sure it will take some time to adapt and accept the new changes.

I have many doubts and questions at this point, and I hope there will be some peace with that too. If you're a mom, or you love a child, I'm sure you know what I mean without me having to say it.

But, it's not about me, so there. I was so proud of my girl, insisting on wearing her brace to church tonight. What I realized is that she needed a safe place to "try it out" where she knew she was loved. Sniff, sniff, I know. And if you're part of my church family, it's because of you!! Her wonderful teacher, Miss Jen, told her she was very brave. That comment stuck with her all night. Thank you, Miss Jen!

I am so grateful that we are talking about a lime green brace, and not a life-threatening illness. I'm thankful that we can fix this, even though it will be a daily challenge. I am fortunate to have a wicked funny kid who will make the best of this, and through that, will keep me from crying! Now, for the stamp of silliness all of my posts must have, I have to tell you what Natalie named this thing. We can't call it an orthotic device because that just sounds awful. No, it will be introduced as "Limantha VanStraightenbach", with a heavy German accent on the "ch", of course. When you see her, ask her to say it for you. You'll crack up!